Personal profile
Personal profile
I am a Professor and the Director of the pedagogic group THESIS in the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London. I am a Chartered Psychologist, a member of the British Psychological Society Undergraduate Education Committee, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. My dedication to teaching has been recognised through several awards, including the Higher Education Psychology Teacher of the Year 2023, awarded by the British Psychological Society.
I established and convene THESIS - Teaching in Higher Education: Supporting and Inspiring Students. The aim of this pedagogic group is to encourage innovation in teaching practice and support students and educational practice in the Department of Psychology, across the institution and beyond.
Teaching
I coordinate Final Year Undergraduate Research Projects and have been involved in the module coordination, teaching and assessment of several undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including Health Psychology and Wellbeing course. Furthermore, I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate research projects and dissertations.
Research interests
My research expertise is in the psychology of chronic pain. I am particularly interested in student well-being and quality of life, and my current research projects focus on the impact of chronic pain on university students’ psychological and social functioning as well as their academic progress. I am also passionate about pedagogic research, specifically in supporting the career development of students and early-career academics, and in inclusive education more broadly.
Affiliations
- THESIS - Teaching in Higher Education: Supporting and Inspiring Students (Group Founder & Director)
- Higher Education Academy (Senior Fellow)
- British Psychological Society (BPS) (Chartered Member)
- BPS Undergraduate Education Committee (Member)
- BPS Division of Academics, Researchers and Teachers in Psychology (Member)
- BPS Division of Health Psychology (Member)
- Frontiers for Young Minds (Collection Editor)
- The Centre for the Study of Pain and Well-being (Committee Member)
Previous affiliations:
- Society for Back Pain Research (Committee Member/Member)
- Eurospine (Associate Member)
- Society for the Teaching of Psychology, APA Division 2 (Member)
- Pearson Education: Psychology Advisory Panel (Member)
- International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) (Member)
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 4 Quality Education
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SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Conducting Psychological Research: Developing Skills for Career Success and Social Impact
Serbic, D. & Bourne, V., 2025, Oxford University Press. 232 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book
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US and UK college students’ experiences of living with chronic pain: A qualitative analysis
Donovan, E., Wolfson, A., Serbic, D., Fisher, E., Lunde, C. E., Rice, C., Trosen, O. & Sieberg, C. B., 16 Jan 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of American College Health.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Wellbeing Day: Co-producing events with students to promote wellbeing
Hayes, B. & Serbic, D., 26 Jan 2024, In: Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal. 5, 2, p. 169–184 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
A Comparison of Social Exclusion Towards People with Depression or Chronic Back Pain
Roberts-West, L., Gravatt, A., Guest, N., Hunt, A., Siddique, L. & Serbic, D., 7 Jan 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: British Journal of Pain.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile147 Downloads (Pure) -
Cutting the Cord? Parenting Emerging Adults with Chronic Pain
Lunde, C., Fisher, E., Donovan , E., Serbic, D. & Sieberg , C., 15 Feb 2022, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Paediatric and Neonatal Pain.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
Projects
- 2 Finished
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Pain and College Adjustment, Research Travel Fellowship, awarded by Society for Back Pain Research, £3200
Serbic, D. (PI)
15/04/19 → 28/04/19
Project: Research
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The effect of perceived diagnostic status on guilt: Acceptance and self-identity of Lower Back Pain Patients
Serbic, D. (PI)
1/01/12 → 31/12/13
Project: Research
Prizes
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Best Special Poster Presentation
Serbic, D. (Recipient), 2014
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Best Submitted Research Poster
Serbic, D. (Recipient), 2014
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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College Certificate of Commendation (MSc Statistics for Research)
Serbic, D. (Recipient), 2017
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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College Certificate of Commendation (THESIS Pedagogic Group)
Serbic, D. (Recipient), 2021
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)